Assessment of Water Quality for Drinking Water Supplies Plants at Basrah, Iraq.

Abstract

Water Quality Index (WQI), a simplified way of representing water quality information, was used for assessment of the water quality for water treatment plants in Basrah Governorate. The study conducted for forty water treatment plants streaches from northern sectors, Qurnah and Mudainah towards the southern sectors Umm Qasser and Safwan, in which eight variables as chemical parameters for each sample were analyzed for a period of three years 2012-2014. Parameters studied were, total hardness, sulphate, chloride, sodium, calcium, magnesium, turbidity, and Electric conductivity. Average values for all measured chemical parameters were exceeded the permissible limits for safe drinking water. The results show that the WQI values of water treatment plants in Basrah Governorate ranged between 26 and 89. For the three years of study 2012-2014 most of water treatment plants within Basrah Governorate were either poor or marginal, few were fair and good. Al-Abass and Shuaibah water treatment plants which represent only 5% among the 40 studied plants were classified as good, while others were classified as marginal or poor, that was during the years 2012 and 2013 then it was deteriorate afterwards, moreover, WQI showed that drinking water released from water treatment plants within Basrah Governorate were never reach excellent levels.